The Showers of Blessings

Hubby and I returned from Italy two weeks ago. It took me a week to get over the jet lag, but it took us no time to get back into our grandparenting’s life. The grandkids came for a sleepover twice already.

I have a painting reproduction of Venice canal on the wall in our house for many years. It was my dream to go to Venice, find that spot and take a photo with my camera, not knowing Venice has 150 canals. I’ll get to it later.

It was our first trip traveling to Italy. We joined the Trafalgar Tour. Prior to the trip, I checked the June weather in Italy. It was as hot as 99^oF. I always had a hard time packing the right clothes, either over packing or under packing. I packed some light long sleeve tops, but two days before the departure, I threw in some short sleeve tops and a pair of light pants. I ended up wearing those throughout the trip.

The original departure time was 5:33 a.m. but changed to 7:00 a.m. It was a welcome change. We booked a room at a hotel near Portland International Airport to spend a night and would take the hotel shuttle to the airport. In the early afternoon, I called Lyft to take us to the airport. One showed $78 on my phone, and one was higher. I chose the $78. As soon as I ordered the ride, it changed the price to $87. If the return ride were the same or more, it would cost $170 round trip. I checked into the airport parking and found one next to the hotel. Even with 12 days of parking at $14 per day, it would still be cheaper and more reliable than the uncertain amount by taking Lyft. I made a reservation. It turned out the airport car park was literally next door to the hotel. We checked into the hotel, then drove to the car park. The transition was very smooth. The shuttle drove by as we parked our car. The driver asked us to hop in and opened the gate between the car park and the hotel and dropped us off.

Monday, June 9, 2025

I took 1,600 photos during the trip. By the end of the trip, all the sights and sounds blended so as the photos. It was hard to remember some of them. The Google Lens feature helps me remember the location and a brief description of image.

We flew from Portland to Rome via Dallas Fort Worth with a total of 14 hours of flight. We arrived in Rome at 8:00 a.m. local time and took the 9:30 a.m. pre-arranged shuttle to the Grand Palatine Hotel. The Travel Director was there to meet us but there were no activities until the evening.

Prior to the trip, knowing that we had free time on the first day, my sister-in-law suggested we should visit Vatican Museum, but they were closed to the public on June 9, 2025, due to the Jubilee celebration. So, I purchased the tickets to visit St. Peter Basilica, the Grottoes, and climbing the Dome. The tour started at 2:00 p.m.

Following the Travel Director’s recommendations, we found a little place to have our first Italian lunch, then visited the nearby Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). It was built in the 5th century to house the chains with which St. Peter was imprisoned in Jerusalem. The church is also known for its famous sculpture of Michelangelo’s Moses.

St. Peter Square

After the visit, we took a taxi that cost €13.80 to St. Peter Square to meet with the tour guide at a meeting point. There was a sea of people outside and inside of the Square.

St. Peter Square is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Both the square and the basilica are named after St. Peter, an apostle of Jesus whom Catholics consider the first Pope. St. Peter’s Square was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century. It features a trapezoidal area that transitions into an oval, surrounded by a colonnade of 284 columns with 140 statues of saints above the columns. Bernini described the colonnade as embracing the faithful and drawing them towards the basilica. The square houses over 300,000 people.

We met with the tour guide, and she said we had to get in line and the wait time was unknown. The line was long and crowded. We waited for 40 minutes and passed 4 security check points to enter the basilica. The tour guide, according to her experience, took us to the underground Grottoes first, then the Basilica and the Dome. She gave us information about the sites through the radio.

The Vatican Grottoes are a series of underground chambers and chapels located beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. They serve as a papal burial ground, housing the tombs of numerous popes, royalty, and other dignitaries. The Grottoes also contain chapels, shrines, and structures like the Clementine Chapel, which holds the sepulcher of St. Peter. 

We followed the flow of people to exit the Grottoes and proceeded to St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Peter’s is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and is the largest church in the world by interior measure. It is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. Catholic tradition holds that the basilica is the burial site of St. Peter. At the far end of the basilica, directly beneath the dome, is the focal point of the church’s interior where St. Peter’s Altar is located and St. Peter’s tomb is directly below the high altar.

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As we proceeded to the Dome, the winding line was long. Hubby and I didn’t think we had enough time to finish the tour before the meeting with our Travel Director, we cut through the line to find a way out of the basilica. Someone pointed out where to catch a taxi. It happened when one taxi was available. She asked for €48.00 to take us to the hotel. We agreed (with no other choices). We found out later that there were 501 steps climbing to the top of the Dome!

We got back to the hotel, attended the orientation meeting at 5:00 p.m. and enjoyed the dinner with the tour group. One couple from the UK sat at the same table as us. We had an interesting conversation comparing travel experiences. The servers placed two bottles of wine, one red, one white, per four people. We don’t drink. The husband of that couple drank the two bottles like grape juice.

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

We got up around 7:00 a.m. and had breakfast at the hotel. All the breakfasts, some lunches, and some dinners are included in the tour package. As far as sightseeing at each city, the tour bus took us to visit some highlights when we first arrived. One or two sightseeing tours were included in each city. The rest of the time would be optional experiences with additional fees or free time on our own.

We attended the optional experience to stroll through Rome’s historical center and narrow streets with a local specialist. The following are some highlights.

The Portico of Octavia was originally built by Augustus and later restored by him for his sister, Octavia. The Jewish Ghetto was established in 1555, by Pope Paul IV. The Portico became a central feature of the ghetto, and its name is associated with the area. The historical façades were kept, and new buildings were built around them.

The history of Rome’s City Walls takes us back to as early as 4th century BC, when Servius Tullius, the 6th emperor of Rome, commissioned the construction of the city’s first defensive structure, the Servian walls. They were built from huge chunks of volcanic tufa and reached 10 meters height.

The Theater of Marcellus was an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. The space for the theater was cleared by Julius Caesar, who was murdered before its construction could begin. The theater was advanced by 17 BC and was completed in 13 BC. It was formally inaugurated in 12 BC by Augustus. He named the theater after his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus who had died in 23 BC. Marcellus was the son of Augustus’ sister, Octavia, and was considered his potential heir before his untimely death. It was once the largest and most important theatre in Ancient Rome, capable of holding between 11,000 and 20,000 spectators. 

The Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere was believed to be the first church in Rome. The basilica is renowned for its impressive mosaics, including those on the façade and in the apse, with some mosaics by Pietro Cavallini.

The Arch of Constantine was built around 315 CE to commemorate Emperor Constantine I’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 CE. It is the largest surviving triumphal arch in Rome and is notable for its use of spolia, which are decorative elements reused from earlier Roman monuments. 

Here are some narrow streets and images of street art. The narrow streets reminded me of the movie The Italian Job (2003). Some street art had artistic expressions, and some seemed to be random graffiti. Some photos of buildings were taken for their interesting architecture and doors for Dan Antion‘s Thursday Doors Challenge.

After three hours of walking tour, the bus took us back to the hotel. Lunch was on our own. The Colosseum tour in the afternoon was included in the package.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built. Construction began under Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD under his successor, Titus, with further modifications during Domitian’s reign. After centuries of active use, the Colosseum was damaged by an earthquake in 1349 and later used as a source of building materials. 

The construction

The Colosseum was built with massive travertine blocks, and these were held together by iron clamps embedded within the stone. After the Colosseum fell into disuse, the iron clamps were removed and repurposed for other uses, especially during times when metal was scarce. The Colosseum was originally covered in marble, which was also stripped away over time for use in other buildings. The removal of both iron clamps and marble left the Colosseum with the numerous holes and missing sections we see today. 

The Interior

The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and a prominent symbol of the Roman Empire. Commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and completed by his successor Titus in 80 AD, the Colosseum’s construction was a monumental undertaking, funded by war spoils. It was primarily used for gladiatorial contests, public spectacles, and mock sea battles, drawing large crowds of up to 80,000 spectators. The ruins we see is a complex system of underground passages and rooms where gladiators, animals, and stage machinery were housed and prepared before being brought up to the arena floor via ramps and elevators. 

There was one more tour in Rome. I’ll share with you in the next post.

Thursday Doors: Italy – Rome

A safe Happy 4th of July weekend to you and your family!

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